Fencing-French soul, Italian heart as Rizzi leads her side to epee title in Paris

PARIS : Giulia Rizzi was taught the "French school" of fencing and she reaped the rewards of her stay on the other side of the Alps when she led Italy to the Olympic title in the women's epee team event at the Paris Games on Tuesday.

Italy and France, the two most decorated nations in the sport, have shared 93 fencing titles, and it was always going to be a close affair at the Grand Palais.

Rizzi, however, used both styles of fencing - the Italian being more precise, while the French play with distance.

The 35-year-old moved to France in 2017 and soon joined the Paris University Club.

In 2020, she joined Benoit Janvier's training academy in Saint-Gratien on the outskirts of the capital, and it led to a change in her style.

"France helped me improve my fencing but I am Italian. I lived here, so there's a French soul but my heart is Italian," Rizzi told Reuters.

"I used the French style a little bit tonight."

Fluent in French, Rizzi showed her emotion with the gold medal around her neck.

"I'm very emotional, the crowd were against us but there were Italian colours in the stands as well," she said.

"Training in France has changed me a lot. I feel better both technically and physically, and I have more confidence in myself," she added.

"Since I started fencing in Udine (Italy) I have always practised the French style. When I went to a club in Milan, I had a hard time adapting to Italian fencing.

"When I saw the opportunity to refine my technique in France itself, I did not think twice."